Parents of Children Read Please

[JudimouseNC]

Of course you think you are right, you are 16 years old.....

I would love to revisit this topic down the road when you are married with a couple of young children and a long vacation at WDW.

It has been a while since I have taken little ones to WDW, but my grandchildren live with us now and I have found alot of GREAT advice on this board for our vacation planning. We are not park opening to park closing people...never have been. So, we will go with the flow and kinda of let the kids (ages 3 years and 17 months) and how they handle the overstimulation, dictate how we proceed.

We have always gone back to the hotel mid-day so that is not new for us.

 

[grlpwrd]

Of course you think you are right, you are 16 years old.....

I would love to revisit this topic down the road when you are married with a couple of young children and a long vacation at WDW...

Then again the OP seems to be an advocate for the little children so it's all good.

 

[meandtheguys2]

It is great that you care about the kiddos, but you might want to learn at 16 not to be judgemental of other's parenting choices. All families are different. Sleeping habits, eating habits, discipline issues are all things that families must work out on their own. Unfortunately none of them come with instruction books.

There are a multifitude of issues that women, in particular judge one another harshly over. Maybe your generation can nip that in the bud and support rather than tear each other down.

 

[Nancyg56]

Well said, soccerchick. Not to be disrespectful to the OP, but I'm guessing she doesn't have a small child and so therefore doesn't have any idea that each child is different regarding what they can/can't handle.

A two hour nap? That's rare around here with my one-year-old, who is "supposed" to take naps like that. (I think my DD read the book on what she's "supposed" to do while in utero, and has proceeded to do the exact opposite ever since birth.)

Sorry, OP, but until you're the one with the little one and know the paths parents walk, I can't get behind your request.

I totally agree. In our family, our little one refuses to nap....unless she wants to. Refuses to sleep at night until she wants to. Drives my DD crazy! My DGD is exactly like her Mom, and what goes around....... We will NOT be getting her up at the crack of dawn to open the parks. We will NOT be racing back to the hotel for the required 2 hour nap, that by the time she finally falls asleep, would last until 5PM... sending her bedtime, which is later than most kids, 11PM. Oh no...we are not going to encourage a temper tantrum followed be a miserable child and frustrated parents in order to please anyone elses idea of excellent vacation planning.

So, I think that it is best if each family plans their day according to theor own needs, and let others follow what works for themselves.

 

[Nancyg56]

Well I personally think that I am right and kids should have fun. You only live once remember this...

You are right.......kids should have fun. That's why we bring our children to WDW. Your version of fun is fun for you. It would be a nightmare for my family. My DGD is NOT a morning person, she is a misery before 9AM. If we woke her at 5AM to "have fun" with you, I would be able to sell tickets to the show and we would have our next trip paid for.

When you have your family....have your version of fun. It is not wise to force your "fun" on those who are not of the same mindset as yourself.

 

[tlbwriter]

Of course you think you are right, you are 16 years old.....

I would love to revisit this topic down the road when you are married with a couple of young children and a long vacation at WDW.

LOL! I completely agree. This thread is hilarious. OP, when you see a child crying, you can't assume that it's because mom and dad didn't "allow" that child to take a nap. It could be because the kid wanted to eat a Mickey ice cream bar for lunch and the parents refused. It could be because they were frightened of the big Goofy. It could be lots of things. Stop concerning yourself with other people's vacations and just think about your own.

 

[flipturngirl]

It might not be things that were said. I am very very hurt by what you guys said up above. It is just my thoughts and you did not have to say some of the stuff you did. I am just saying what I think you do not have to give me Judge Judy's 3rd Degree. I am just beside myself at how rude yall are.

 

[tlbwriter]

It might not be things that were said. I am very very hurt by what you guys said up above. It is just my thoughts and you did not have to say some of the stuff you did. I am just saying what I think you do not have to give me Judge Judy's 3rd Degree. I am just beside myself at how rude yall are.

You said some very rude and judgemental things in your post. The fact that they are "just your thoughts" doesn't make them either polite or appropriate. They were neither. You might look up "hypocrite" in the dictionary and see if it sounds familiar.

 

[MazdaUK]

This thread really made me laugh - right up there with little old ladies who tut in supermarkets because a) you're giving your kid chocolate or b) you're not giving your kid chocolate or c) because you're kid is screaming because you refuse to buy a mega blaster super soaker/other large piece of plastic.

We are early people anyway - well, DS(5) is, but even more so when in Florida because of the time difference - 7am in Florida is midday in London so if my kids sleep till then I am doing really well! (1st day up at 3 am - fantastic )

If kids need a nap, they are most likely to take one in their strollers - try and take them back to the hotel and they sleep on the bus and wake up as you get back, then race round the room while you try to rest! And how many hours a day do you want to pack 4 of you into a room with very little space? Disney are not that generous with space, and sadly when you add transatlantic air tickets for a family to the costs there's no way many of us can afford a concierge suite My DH and I resigned ourselves to missing all the evening stuff because there was no way the children could keep awake that late - as it was one evening about 7.30 DS(5) was falling asleep in his dinner.

We went by our kids body clocks and avoided meltdowns - dragging them away while they were having fun then forcing them back to mthe parks to stand for a couple of hours while they were tired would not have been good for any of us

 

[bevemjake]

Hi! I have been to Disney several times. Each time I have seen kids screaming and yelling because they have not had naps. I personally think you need to have a 2 hour a day nap time and then go back to the park. The kids should be well rested to go back to the park and stay there till 11. I have seen so many families rushing back at 8 to get there kids to bed at 9. I think YOU ARE ON VACATION!!! Vacation is- when you are away from home, your daily scedual etc. Daily schedual means waking up go to work come home go to bed do it all over again. Just go with the flow. When I was little we did not have to go back to the hotel at 8 or 9 to get to bed we stayed up all night and got up at 5 or 4:30 and we were fine that is because we got naps. Please reply on what you think of this.

We tend to go back early to get the kids to bed because my kids don't nap. They don't nap at home and they won't nap at Disney, we've tried. Not every solution works for every family.

Needless to say we would never push our kids until they were that tired. We just go at our own pace and do what works for us. Napping doesn't work for us.

 

[JenDaveBrendan]

It might not be things that were said. I am very very hurt by what you guys said up above. It is just my thoughts and you did not have to say some of the stuff you did. I am just saying what I think you do not have to give me Judge Judy's 3rd Degree. I am just beside myself at how rude yall are.

I don't think anyone is being "rude" at all, nor did anyone give you the "3rd degree"...you asked what people thought about what you had to say - so they told you. Just because people disagree with you doesn't mean they are being "rude"....
Also, you are 16 years old..... you don't have little ones of your own. It is hard to take advice from a 16 year old who has no idea what life is like to be a parent of little kids. As you get older and have your own family, you will understand where others are coming from and that every kid is different as to what they can handle at the parks (and in life....).
It just makes me laugh because I remember like it was yesterday when I was 16 (I am 27 now)... and boy, have I grown up a lot since then!! I thought I knew everything!
Jen

 

[Nancyg56]

It just makes me laugh because I remember like it was yesterday when I was 16 (I am 27 now)... and boy, have I grown up a lot since then!! I thought I knew everything!
Jen

I know the feeling. I am 49 now nad remember how much I knew when I was 16. Wish I knew now what I knew then.

OP: No disrespect intended in the response. When you ask for opinions, be prepared to get them, especially when discussing parenting skills. This can be a hot topic, even if people are just posting observations. This discussion seems to be an exchange of ideas, and I doubt that people were trying to be rude to you. Apologies to you if you felt that I was rude.

 

[ButterflyJen]

I also was not trying to be rude, but as others have said, you're 16. I remember being 16 (from my current age of 31, yes I know that seems way old to you) and I had no clue about raising a child. Now, with a DD of my own, I know, and I know that your suggestions would not work for us. Period. Chances are, our DD would be having a meltdown because we were putting her into her stroller, giving her something healthy to eat (horrors! a veggie!), or telling her she could not go/do something that was dangerous or such.

If you found my post rude, I do apologize....but again, you simply can't tell others how to run their families, even if you're a parent yourself. What works for one family does not work for every family.

 

[Mr Poohbrain]

It might not be things that were said. I am very very hurt by what you guys said up above. It is just my thoughts and you did not have to say some of the stuff you did. I am just saying what I think you do not have to give me Judge Judy's 3rd Degree. I am just beside myself at how rude yall are.

Hey, if you can't run with the big dogs, stay out of the tall grass.

While I agree with you on certain points, you have to understand that not everyone has the luxury (or the desire) to pace themselves. For some people, this is a once-in-a-lifetime event that they have saved up for over 2 or 3 years, and they feel that they have to pack everything in to 7 days.

You're telling women with small children how to run their vacation. Look, everyone that you're directing your comments to has been 16. I'd venture to say that most of us felt that we knew everything at your age (I know I did), but you will see, as you get older and more mature that the world is filled with many different lifestyles and many different opinions on "the right way" of doing things. My advice to you (and I mean this in the nicest way) would be to print this entire thread out, save it in your scrapbook, and revisit it in 10-15 years when you're planning your family vacation with a husband and a couple of kids.

Mrs. PB

 

[soccerchick]

Actually, I think people here went above and beyond to give you the benefit of the doubt and NOT be rude. Personally, I am amused by the thread and think the reproaches have been quite gentle. I think people responded to let you know what life is really like w/small children (hey, and big ones too!). Your implication that we take kids to WDW and AREN'T having fun if we don't do things YOUR way is ridiculous.

soccerchick-- who is taking her kids to WDW in one week and may or may not nap, and may or nay not stay up late, but WILL definitely HAVE FUN!! Woo hoo!!

 

[crisi]

Sixteen! I remember preparing for the arrival of my first with visions of how our days would go - at 31.... One thing I'm sure, no one ends up the parent they imagined they'd be while they only had dream children.

 

[goodferry]

I think it's nice that you wish you didn't see so many kids crying at Disney, but keep in mind, like some of the other posters said, you don't always know the whole story.

My daughter has childhood epilepsy, she is one of four kids. If she doesn't get the appropriate amount of sleep at night, she has a seizure. She doesn't always want to leave the parks early, and a lot of times the others don't either, but in the interest of her health, I have to do what I feel is the best thing for her. The best thing is not always going to be what she wants, and for me, that's one of the toughest parts of parenting, saying no when you want with all your heart to give in.

We manage this problem at Disney by taking afternoon naps, sleeping in somedays and going in early some nights. Sometimes we manage this by getting a sitter to stay with the youngest two in the evenings while we take the older two to see some of the fireworks and shows, and I know that there are people who would judge me for getting a sitter. It is always best to try to put yourself in the other person's shoes before you make a judgement.

 

[gigi1313]

i have not read all the way thru, but to the OP i say: you raise your kids and i'll raise mine!

 

[crisi]

BTW, I'll give you some advice on thinking - and if you can manage this, you'll be far ahead of most sixteen year olds (and a whole lot of adults). When you are going to propose something, think "what could go wrong." Looking at your proposal, child not taking the nap seems a pretty big risk. Other risks, husband who says "vacation is for sleeping in!" A huge one, doing Disney with kids when the parks close early (no reason to mess up bedtime schedules if the parks close at 6:00!) Then, when people start poking holes in your proposal, you will at least be aware of the obvious ones.

Of course, it could be the case that you just don't have the life experience yet to realize not all kids will nap, husbands are sometimes less than fully cooperative on vacation, and some of us do the parks in September. In which case, rather than calling us rude, you might be better off saying "gee, I didn't think of that, I always thought little kids napped!" rather than whining that we aren't thinking about "fun" or being rude. Because, Lord knows, we all know how much "fun" it is to drag a cranky or surly kid through the parks. And how much fun our children have when they are cranky and surly.

Most people on this board are not "once in a lifetime" Disney goers. There are a few here who are learning to maximize the single trip they will take (and they often come back in a year planning their second). It isn't necessary for us to see everything each trip - and with kids and a commitment to Disney - not appropriate. My toddlers loved Dumbo....I don't know if my six and seven year old will bother this time, but we are moving on up to Big Thunder Mountain Railroad this year! They probably won't do Tower of Terror - too scary for them yet, but in a few years we will be back, Dumbo a fond memory, and Rockin' Roller Coaster the challenge. A lot of us have a lot of experience with knowing how Disney works for our families - that our kids nap or don't nap. That our son gets overstimulated, that our daughter doesn't like being out at night, that our husband needs to be back in the room to watch Monday Night Football (we almost always travel during the World Series, which is tough in our family - my husband follows baseball), or our wife wants nap time to coincide with Days of Our Lives.

 

[Brian Noble]

Husbands are always fully cooperative, provided the request is reasonable.

Of course, we husbands may well disagree on the definition of reasonable.